Tattoo
by miabria
Summary: Elena wakes up one morning and finds a strange tattoo on her arm. Soulmate AU, kinda.
1. Of Flowers and Awkward Conversations

**Chapter 1: Of Flowers and Awkward Conversations**

That morning was typical. I got up at 6 a.m. like I always did, made myself a cup of coffee, and got in the shower. As I was showering, I noticed my arm had a tattoo of flower designs on it. They started at my right wrist and wove all the way up to my elbow. They looked like ink drawings, like when someone gets so bored and the only surface they have to draw on is their arm. It was a very elegant pattern, but I was confused as to how the tattoo got there. I hadn't been drinking or anything the night before. I was home all evening. And the markings didn't hurt, they were just… there.

I tried scrubbing the tattoo off my arm, but it wouldn't fade. Eventually, I decided to just ignore it and get ready for work; I would be late if I spent any more time trying to get the ink off.

I stepped out of the shower and dried off. I brushed my hair, put some pants on, and as I was pulling my white button-up shirt on, I noticed new markings appear on my arm.

 _Meeting with Tseng 10 a.m, discuss Elena's recent performance issues._

What?

I stared at my arm for a good five minutes, evaluating the words. Why were they there and what were they supposed to mean? It was almost as if someone were writing reminders on their arm and the notes were transferring to my arm. But if that were the case, how did that person know both Tseng and myself? Why were they planning on speaking with Tseng about my performance issues. Sure, I've made a few mistakes on missions recently, but I was nervous and distracted! I've been a Turk for only a few months and I've been trying very hard to prove myself. Sure, my weaknesses are inexcusable, but I don't feel like my mistakes should cost me my job.

The only person I can think of that would have a meeting like that with Tseng is Rufus Shinra, but he doesn't seem like the type of person to write notes on his arm or doodle flower patterns… Or even know that I exist. The whole situation just didn't add up.

I shook all my thoughts away from my head. I would solve this whole tattoo mystery later. I was running late for work.

* * *

When I got to the office, I headed straight for the break room, determined to get my hands on some more coffee. The entire commute to work was spent theorizing about the strange markings on my arm. Naturally, I came to so many conclusions that I might as well have none. Luckily for me, my Turk uniform covered up my arm, so all the doodles on my arm wouldn't look unprofessional in front of my coworkers.

I entered the break room, noticing how my three fellow Turks were all gathered there as well.

"Good morning everyone," I said in my most cheerful voice. Nothing was on my mind. Nothing at all.

Reno looked over at me, confusion on his face. "How the hell are you so chipper in the mornings?"

I shrugged and nudged him out of the way of the coffee machine. Filling up a paper cup with the drink, plus some cream. I was now content.

I could feel Reno's eyes on me the entire time I was making my coffee. I chose to ignore it, seeing as how Reno always had a habit of staring at people he was trying to figure out. I had taken a sip of my coffee and set the cup down, about to ask our commander if there were any missions today, when Reno grabbed my arm and pulled the sleeve back, studying the flower designs that were still prominently there in blue ink and the words in a contrasting black. He chuckled to himself and released my arm. "Get bored on your drive here?"

I pulled my arm protectively against my chest and glared at him.

" _No_ ," I said defensively, "They just showed up this morning."

That last part I said in more of a concerned whisper.

Reno chuckled again and took a sip of his coffee, shaking his head.

"What do you know?" I accused. He wasn't telling me something.

Reno ignored me and watched as our commander headed towards the door.

"Going somewhere, Chief?"

"I have a meeting with Rufus," Tseng said calmly, "I'll be back before too long. Make yourselves busy in the meantime."

I checked my PHS, noticing that the time was 9:45. So that reminder on my arm _was_ written by Rufus. His handwriting was a lot more… average than I imagined it to be. Simple printed letters, very unlike the elegant cursive I imagined he wrote in. But why were Rufus's reminders on my arm?

"You think they're going to talk about you, like it says on your arm?" Reno asked from over my shoulder. I jumped slightly, forgetting that anyone else was in the room.

I looked at Reno in a manner that I hoped said "tell me what you know, or else."

"Ok, look," Reno started, holding his hands up defensively, "I didn't wanna say anything because its probably not true, but I've heard of people who, when they meet their soulmate, whatever their soulmate writes on their skin, it shows up on the other person's skin."

"Say what now?" He sounded totally crazy!

"Look, I'm not saying its true. I've just heard rumors of it happening."

"So you're saying Rufus Shinra is my soul mate? And that he draws on his arm when he gets bored?"

"Not gonna lie, I didn't know that last part. Only way to find out is to look at his arm and see if it's the same."

"What if I wrote on my skin? Would it show up on his?"

Reno shrugged, "Don't think so. I think it's a one way thing."

I sighed. I really didn't want to confront Rufus, especially not about something so… trivial? Childish? It sounded ridiculous is what it sounded like. Rufus would probably laugh at me, show me that nothing was written on his perfect skin, and fire me because of the meeting he had with Tseng. Nothing good could come out of this confrontation… But dammit I was going to do it anyway!

* * *

I waited an hour after Tseng got back from his meeting to walk myself up to Rufus's office. The elevator ride seemed to take forever, even though it was only about ten floors.

I was reasonably extremely nervous to talk to Rufus Shinra. I had met him only once before and it was only because I wasn't watching where I was going and I walked straight into him in the hallway. I landed on my butt on the floor and he just silently stared down at me with confusion and annoyance. Not a great first impression on my part…

I stopped by the secretary's office and asked her to let Rufus know I was there. I wouldn't tell her the reasoning, but she didn't question it. She recognized me as a Turk and knew not to ask too many questions, a fact I greatly appreciated.

As soon as she told me I could go up, I walked with purpose up the stairs and to the metal, air-locked doors that would lead to Rufus's office. They opened the second I reached them.

As I strode into the office, I was taken aback. I had never actually been in Rufus Shinra's office. It was plain, yet elegant. Black and white metals for the desk and a bar in on corner. It must have taken a lot of work to change the office from President Shinra's gaudy style to this.

I heard Rufus clear his throat and I realized I had been standing in the middle of the room, looking around, transfixed in my own little world. I stepped forward and, per Rufus's request, I sat down in one of the black leather chairs in front of his desk.

"What brings you here, Elena?"

I was utterly stumped at the question. How do I explain the weird tattoos on my arm? I stared at him for a moment, probably looking like a deer in headlights.

"Well?"

I shook my head a regained my composure. "W-well…" I managed to stammer out. This was going to be a lot more difficult that I thought it would be.

"Ok, well, you see, I was talking with Reno and he said that I should talk with you because a really weird thing happened to me this morning. I was in the shower—"

"Elena, I really don't need to know about your personal life. And I believe any advice from Reno should be wisely ignored."

"No, you don't get it, look at this!" Without hesitation, I pulled up the sleeve of my jacket and showed Rufus the markings on my arm. Rufus furrowed his brow and studied my arm, obviously perplexed.

"Elena, I don't—"

I interrupted him, "Look, I know this is stuff you've been writing on your arm because Tseng said he had a meeting with you and it was at the exact time that this note says that a meeting with Tseng was going to take place and Reno said it was some kind of weird soulmate thing and I don't know if I completely believe that but I can't ignore the markings on my arm, like they're _there,_ and I just—"

"Elena," Rufus looked at me with a look that clearly said I needed to stop talking. "I admit that this is very strange, but I highly doubt this connects us in any…" he was choosing his words carefully, "romantic way."

"Maybe not, but I just thought it was something I should point out."

Rufus looked thoughtful, studying the drawings on my arm. When he finally looked at me, he smirked. "Well, I appreciate that."

"Yeah…" The conversation got awkward because I had nothing else to say, so I did what I always do in awkward situations: I said the first thing that came to mind, "Why were you and Tseng talking about me?"

I could have phrased that more elegantly, but Rufus just chuckled. "I promise, it wasn't as bad as the reminder on my arm makes it sound."

I nod. That's an acceptable answer I guess. I have a feeling I won't get a more detailed answer from him.

And again, the conversation grows awkward and I blurt out the next thing on my mind: "Why do you draw flowers on your arm?"

I can see a tinge of pink on Rufus's cheeks. I'm sure that was something he thought no one would ever find out about. Now he was the one who looked like a deer in headlights. One point to Elena for catching President Rufus Shinra off-guard.

Rufus cleared his throat and regained his composure, "I just always find myself drawing them. I like the simplicity of the patterns."

"They're really pretty." I say, still not thinking about what's coming out of my mouth.

I can tell Rufus doesn't know what to say. I give myself another point for that.

"Let's just keep this between us, shall we?" He finally says, still obviously a little embarrassed. I nod in agreement, despite the fact that Reno already knows.

* * *

I get home that night, much later than I had intended. I decided to stay late at work to get some extra papers filed and I was ready to pass out the second I walked through my door.

I noticed as I was changing my shirt that the ink on my arm had faded considerably. Rufus must have washed it off earlier.

After eating a quick dinner and watching a few episodes of a TV show I liked, I headed to my bedroom and climbed under the covers on my bed. I looked at my arm again, still baffled by how strange that whole situation was. I noticed that a fresh set of words were written on my wrist:

 _Goodnight, Elena._

I smiled to myself and turned off the light on my nightstand. I know Rufus said there was no connection between us because of this, but maybe he was wrong about that. Maybe he could end up being my soulmate.

* * *

 **This was based on a writing prompt about a mysterious tattoo that appears on a character's body and I decided to turn it into that au where whatever someone writes on their skin, it shows up on their soulmate's skin. In this, it only works one way and I guess it's just fate that decides who gets the randomly appearing ink marks. Also, it only starts when you meet your soulmate.**

 **I have this headcannon that Rufus actually doodles on his arms a lot when he gets bored and he writes reminders and stuff on his hands. Like his arm is just covered in ink by the time he gets home because he's just constantly drawing on it. Nobody knows this because he's always wearing long sleeves and gloves. Also, I like to think that Rufus draws these super elegant flowers, like roses or lotus flowers just because he likes the shape of them and how they flow. They're probably connected by a bunch of swirls and stuff.**

 **Also, I've decided this story will be multiple chapters because Violet's Veil (check out their work if you haven't already) suggested I continue this story to see where it goes, and I think I will. I could definitely add to it so that's what's gonna happen. I started rewriting this part to make it more of a story, but decided not to because I didn't like how the other version was turning out. So I'm just going to add to this so you should keep an eye out for those chapters.**


	2. Who's the New Girl?

**Chapter 2: Who's the New Girl?**

She had always fascinated him with the things she did. She wasn't elegant or graceful, but rather clumsy. That, to him, was amusing yet fascinating. She always seemed so serious, but would crumble under the slightest acknowledgement of her presence.

He noticed during board meetings the way she would stare at Tseng with admiration and the way she would puff out her cheeks with annoyance every time Reno would kick her under the table. She was incredibly easy to read, yet Rufus felt like he knew very little about her.

Yes, the newest member of the Turks had caught his eye. He wasn't sure why he had suddenly gained a certain attraction to her, but he couldn't stop thinking about her. Couldn't stop trying to analyze her. Something told him that her behavior was absolutely no inflection on what she could do as a Turk.

Despite her having been at the company a little over a month, Rufus didn't know her name. He hadn't bothered to look up her file, afraid of ruining the mystery of the young woman.

It wasn't until she had quite literally ran into him in the hallway that he finally learned a little about her. He had been walking with Tseng, discussing the havoc Avalanche had caused them, when all of a sudden the clumsy girl, looking at her feet in what seemed to be dejected anger, walked straight into him and landed on the floor.

Next to him, Rufus heard Tseng give an exasperated sigh and simply said, "Elena." It was as if he were talking to a child he was tired of having to look over. Rufus couldn't help but feel annoyed in the girl's—in Elena's—defense. However, he said nothing, and did nothing, curious to see how the situation would play out. It ended with Elena frantically climbing to her feet, apologizing to both of them repeatedly, saying "sir" a considerable amount of times, then scurrying off.

Rufus chuckled at the way she ran off, her face turning red in embarrassment.

"She'll start acting like a Turk eventually, I'm sure," Tseng said, almost in doubt of himself.

"Elena, you said her name was?"

Tseng chuckled with his own amusement. "You're only just now finding that out? I figured you would have memorized her employee file by now."

"I wanted her personality to be a surprise."

Tseng raised a brow skeptically. "You hate surprises."

Rufus smirked in reply, "Of course."

* * *

Two months later found Rufus in his office at 6:30 in the morning. He didn't usually go into the office until around 8, but he had been up early anyway. Unfortunately, there was not much to do so early in the morning, so Rufus had grabbed a pen from the pen holder on his desk and pulled back his sleeve. For some reason, Rufus had always been in the habit of doodling on his arms whenever he got bored. His father always chastised him for it, but this didn't stop Rufus from doing it. He just started keeping his arms and hands covered so no one would see.

He dragged the pen smoothly across his skin, connecting curved lines to look like the petals of roses and lotus flowers. He always found himself drawing some sort of floral design. Flowers were simple and elegant. Everyone expected them to be perfect, yet they were full of beautiful imperfections. They reminded him a little of himself: the perfect embodiment of imperfection.

He stopped drawing on his arm when his phone rang. It was Tseng, asking to speak to him later about how Elena had performed in the Mythril Mines. Rufus didn't really think much of her performance. Sure, she revealed classified information to their enemies, but the Turks' job has quite the learning curve. This was her first assignment and she didn't reveal anything vital to the success of the company. Just the location of Sephiroth. Honestly, if Avalanche wanted to take on Sephiroth, by all means. It would save him a lot of hassle.

When Rufus hung up the phone with Tseng, he quickly scrawled a reminder on his arm in black ink, over the blue of the flowers so it wouldn't get lost.

* * *

It was about noon that day when his secretary had buzzed the intercom, letting him know a Turk was on her way up. He was slightly confused as to why Elena would be visiting him, but he wouldn't object to it. He was curious what she had to say.

The sensors on his security monitor flashed red, alerting him the the presence of someone at his door. He pressed a button on his desk that allowed the doors to open.

On the other side of the doors was Elena, looking nervous and quite frazzled.

She took a few steps in, then passed, the doors closing behind her. He could tell she was taken aback by his office. After sometime had passed, he had cleared his throat softly to remind her he was there. He couldn't help but be amused by her astonishment of the office and her embarrassment of simply standing in the middle of the room.

He motioned her her to sit, which she did, then he asked, "What brings you here, Elena?"

At the question, Elena looked even more frazzled than she had before. Surely it wasn't that hard to explain?

At her lack of response he prompted, "Well?"

"W-well…" She stammered. Rufus raised an eyebrow, curious and amused.

"Ok, well, you see, I was talking with Reno and he said that I should talk with you because a really weird thing happened to me this morning. I was in the shower—"

Rufus cut her off with a smirk on his face. "Elena, I really don't need to know about your personal life. And I believe any advice from Reno should be wisely ignored." Rufus knew that from personal experience.

Elena shook her head in exasperation, "No, you don't get it, look at this!" She pulled back her sleeve to reveal doodles just like the ones Rufus had put on his arm that morning. Rufus furrowed his brow, confused and skeptical of what this could mean. There's now way she could simply be playing a joke on him. How would she even know he doodled on his arm like that?

"Elena, I don't—" But she interrupted him.

"Look, I know this is stuff you've been writing on your arm because Tseng said he had a meeting with you and it was at the exact time that this note says that a meeting with Tseng was going to take place and Reno said it was some kind of weird soulmate thing and I don't know if I completely believe that but I can't ignore the markings on my arm, like they're _there,_ and I just—"

"Elena," He interjected calmly, yet with a stern tone to his voice. She stopped talking and looked down into her lap. "I admit that this is very strange, but I highly doubt this connects us in any…" how did he want to put this.., "romantic way."

"Maybe not, but I just thought it was something I should point out," she said, somewhat dejected.

Rufus looked at her arm, which was still visible from her lap. He smirked. "Well, I appreciate that."

"Yeah…" She trailed off. Rufus could tell she was feeling awkward, but still had something on her mind. He was about to ask what it was when she blurted out, "Why were you and Tseng talking about me?"

Rufus couldn't help but chuckle at her blunt question. "I promise, it wasn't as bad as the reminder on my arm makes it sound."

She seemed to accept the answer, before asking another question, "Why do you draw flowers on your arm?"

Rufus could feel his face heating up, taken aback by the question. How could he explain that to her? There wasn't really a simple answer as to _why_.

He cleared his throat and regained his composure, the heat in his face not going away. "I just always find myself drawing them. I like the simplicity of the patterns."

"They're really pretty," Elena says, catching Rufus off guard again.

He wasn't sure how to reply to that. Every time Elena spoke, it seemed to be without much thought. He found that trait of hers annoying because she continuously challenged how well he could keep his composure around her, but at the same time that made her blunt way of speaking all the more endearing.

Finally, Rufus says, "Let's just keep this between us, shall we?" Even as he said that, he found himself embarrassed by the fact that Elena had already told Reno all about it.

* * *

That night, Rufus went home late, still thinking about the conversation he had with Elena.

Soulmates? There was no such thing… right? Well then what had connected them like this? He wanted to think there was some logical explanation to it all, but at his lack of a conclusion, he decided it could be the universe trying to tell him to go after this girl. He had been fascinated by her for a while now, but never really found it in him to approach her. He had no reason to. Nothing to say.

Nothing until now.

Rufus sat on his couch with a pen in his hand, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He wanted to write something to her, wanted to reach out. He could feel his heart thump against the inside of his chest. Why was he so nervous all of a sudden? Her presence never caused him to feel like this, but there was an intimacy in leaving a message for her through this strange link between them that he simply was not used to.

He took a deep breath and placed the pen on his arm, writing two simple words he hoped would let her know he was still thinking about her:

 _Goodnight, Elena._

That would have to suffice until he could speak with her again.

* * *

 **I'm sorry if parts of this seem a little redundant, but I rewrote this chapter like 20 times from Elena's point of view, moving forward in the story, but it just didn't seem right. Something was telling me "It's kind of a soulmate AU! Focus on both of them!" So here you go. Some exploration into Rufus's character. I think as I continue this story, I'll be switching back and forth between the two because I just feel like that's the right direction to take this in.**


	3. Of Silence and Confusion

Two weeks later finds me sitting at my desk without a word from Rufus. The doodles have stopped showing up on my arms and he hasn't made a single attempt to call me or anything. I've come to three possible conclusions. The first is that Rufus is suddenly very self-conscious that someone knows about all the doodles all over his arms. I have a feeling Rufus is the type of person that doesn't really care what others think, so I've ruled that one out. My second conclusion is that Rufus is suddenly not interested in anything to do with me, and to prove his point he's making a conscious effort to not show me any sign of his existence; the most likely option. My third conclusion is that he is dead and no one has told me.

I want to believe he's dead because that would make my life a whole lot easier, but I'm sure I would have heard word of it by now. At least I would hope so.

I stare into the cup of coffee I have on my desk. My reflection looks back at me, dark and distorted. I sigh and decide to stare at the open web browser on my computer screen so I won't have to look at my pathetic face.

I honestly don't know what I was expecting from Rufus. Just because something strange happens and he makes a singular attempt to reach out to me doesn't mean we're actually romantically connected. I mean the universe can't just decide that for me! That's not fair at all! Besides, all the stuff Reno said about soulmates is pure crap. I never believed in that sort of thing. True love? No such thing. Love at first sight? Definitely not. It's just infatuation. I should know, I've had a crush on Tseng since the moment I saw him and it is definitely not love.

Honestly, the whole situation is just stupid and confusing and infuriating and… AGH!

I got up from my desk quickly, frustrated by my own thoughts. I needed some fresh air.

I walked down the hall past the many empty offices on the Turk's floor to the balcony. The second I opened the door I could smell the cigarette smoke. I took a step out and looked to my right. Sure enough, there was Reno, leaning over the balcony ledge with a cigarette in his hand.

"Hey," I said stepping out onto the balcony. I was going to ask if I could join him but I figured that would imply I wanted his company which I really didn't.

Reno looked over at me and turned around so his back was resting on the railing. "Hey to you too," he said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes at him, ignoring the sickening smell of his cigarette. "You know those things aren't good for you," I replied.

"Says you and Rude and Tseng. Trust me, I've heard it a million times and I still don't care." To further his point, he took another drag of the cigarette and at least had the courtesy to not blow the smoke in my direction. "What's got you down? Things not working out with your soulmate?"

"Shut up," I squeak in a way too defensive manner, "You don't know anything!"

"Maybe not, but I think you're upset because Rufus isn't paying you any attention. Did you ever talk to him?"

Well damn, Reno's got me pegged… I wish I was that good at reading people. Or maybe I'm just an open book…

I stare at Reno for a moment then look back out towards the city. "Yeah…" I sigh.

"And?"

" _And_ he was just as confused as I was and he reached out to me that night but I haven't heard from him since. Honestly it shouldn't even upset me that much because I never thought of Rufus as _obtainable_ in any way, shape, or form. And I don't even believe in soulmates so there's no way that's what this is. Maybe it's just some weird… something else?"

Reno chuckled, no doubt amused by my constant rambling. It always annoys me when he does that. "I told you before, it was just a theory. I'm not sure what's going on, but if you want anything to work with Rufus, you have to be persistent. He may act interested for like a day, but then he moves on," I was about to argue that Rufus probably isn't interested then, but Reno held up his hand and continued his little pep talk, "Look, it doesn't mean he's not interested, it just means that Rufus has a very… I guess I would say _preoccupied_ mind. You just need to remind him that you exist. That fact that he reached out to you means that he may be interested, but at the moment you're not very high on his priority list."

I snort in amusement, "Not high on his priority list? Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"No." He simply says. He takes another drag from his cigarette and stares out at the city. I wait for him to say something else but he doesn't.

"Well?" I offer. I hope he has some useful advice in all this.

" _Well,"_ he tosses the remains of his cigarette over the railing, "make yourself a priority." With that he leaves me alone on the balcony.

Easy for him to say…

* * *

Later that day I find out that Rufus was in fact not dead. He was standing before me and the other ShinRa board members discussing Sector 7 and other important stuff like that. I wasn't really paying attention because I was growing more and more aware of the occasional glances Rufus would make my way as the other board members spoke. Why did he keep looking at me like that? And why was Reno continuously kicking me under the table every time he did?

I made an attempt to kick Reno back but he just leaned his chair away from the table and propped it against the wall. I heard Tseng sigh in annoyance next to me.

I made an attempt to pay attention to what Reeve was saying at the far end of the conference table. He had plans for the remodeling of Sector 7 that he was going through, but Scarlet interjected with some of her plans for "security weapons" or whatever. In my opinion they were just large, useless robots.

With how often everyone interrupted everyone else, I was surprised no one had gotten murdered in this room yet.

Reno was about to get murdered, though, if he didn't stop kicking me.

His chair was back on the ground and he looked like he was lazily paying attention, but I could see the amusement on his face every time his foot connected with my leg. It was getting incredibly annoying.

Just as I was about ready to yell at Reno to quit it, Rufus ended the meeting and everyone began filing out of the room. I sighed in relief, glad that Reno could finally leave me alone.

I was one of the last people to leave along with Tseng. Part of me was hoping Rufus would call me back into the meeting room and he would officially acknowledge my existence, but nothing of that sort happened. Instead, I found myself standing awkwardly next to Tseng, waiting for the elevator back to my floor. By that I mean _I_ felt awkward and Tseng was completely composed. I didn't even realize I had been staring at him until he looked over at me, causing me to instantly break eye contact.

Tseng said nothing and stepped onto the elevator once the doors opened for us.

I followed behind him and watched the doors close. Well, almost close. Just as the two doors were about to meet, a hand reached out and stopped them. The doors opened again and Rufus joined us on the elevator, Tseng raising an eyebrow in silent judgement and Rufus shrugging it off with a slight smile. I never noticed before how close Rufus and Tseng seemed. I knew Rufus trusted Tseng more than anyone in the company, but it only just now clicked that the two may actually be friends, or some form of it. Rufus didn't seem like the type of person to call anyone his friend.

Rufus and Tseng talked business the entire ride to the Turk's floor. The elevator doors opened and I stepped out, holding them open for Tseng.

"Go ahead without me," he said cooly. I guess he's planning on finishing his conversation with Rufus.

I nod and release my hold on the doors. They start to close when I hear Rufus say "Have a good evening, Elena." Before I have time to respond, the elevator has already started its ascent to the president's office.

I stand in front of the closed elevators in shock. So he does acknowledge my existence? Then why is this the first time he's spoken to me in weeks? Is he just busy or has he decided maintaining a work relationship with me is important because I may have to save his life one day, but any kind of personal relationship is just an unflattering idea to him?

Whatever the answer, today has left me with more questions than answers to Rufus's behavior and this stupid soulmate connection thing between us.


	4. How Not to Get the Girl of Your Dreams

Vulnerable. It was how he had felt for the past two weeks: vulnerable, insecure, and incredibly self-conscious that any little mark he made on his skin would be seen by a certain blonde-haired Turk.

Rufus spent the last two weeks thinking of nothing but Elena. That's not to say he was unproductive in his work, but she always seemed to be at the forefront of his mind. Every little thing made him think of her and he kept contemplating what he would write to her next. Nothing seemed good enough. He could try to be cliche by writing something flirty on his arm for her or he could give her a phone call and ask her out to dinner. He could send her flowers or accompany her on her lunch break to the same little cafe down the street that she seemed to go to whenever she had the chance. There were a number of ways he could get her attention and a number of ways to speak with her again. All of his ideas seemed to be focused on a grand romantic gesture he could make, though he was unsure if a relationship with Elena was even what he wanted. He figured it must be due to the fact that she never left his head, but he couldn't convince himself that it was a good idea. The professional risks were too great, in many ways other than just reputation. Her line of work was dangerous and he was afraid to put her into more danger than she needed to be in.

Two weeks Rufus argued with himself whether he should talk to her or let the whole thing go. Two weeks of silence on his end and not a trace of Elena either. He always seemed to miss her on his adventures to the Turk floor where he would use the excuse of his meetings with Tseng to be there. She made no attempt at reaching out to him either. Rufus didn't expect her to, but he would have liked it if she had. A lot of trouble would have been saved on his end.

Going into the meeting that day, Rufus started to worry. Not about what he was prepared to talk about with his board members (or better yet, his father's board members that Rufus allowed to stick around), but because of Elena. He always liked for his Turks to be present at the board meetings. They were an integral part of his security and they deserved to know the inner workings of each department. This time, however, he would have liked to excuse them all, save for Tseng, from the conference. He knew the second he did so, Reno would become suspicious. The Turk's second in command already had an inside perspective on the situation Elena and Rufus had found themselves in. No doubt Elena continued to share her concerns with him. The moment Rufus decided to excuse the Turks from this meeting, Reno would know the reason why. Rufus would never hear the end of Reno's lecture on his cowardice towards a woman he could potentially find himself having feelings for.

With that outcome in mind, Rufus decided to keep the meeting as planned. He would have to sit painfully through his subordinates ripping each other's throats out as they begged him for more money, all while the preoccupation of his mind sat silently a few chairs away. He hoped by the end of the meeting he would be able to hang back, knowing Elena took a moment longer than everyone else to pack up her things, causing her to be one of the last people to leave the room. Reno always had a habit of waiting on her, though Rufus figured he could glare at the red-head until he left the room. Surely Reno could read him well enough to know when he was an unwanted presence.

With a plan made, Rufus walked into the conference room. Once decorated with red carpet and gaudy golden wall paper in the style his father preferred, it was now more professional-looking in Rufus's opinion. He decided to keep the wooden table instead of a replacing it with a glass one, which was more his personal style. The glass tables looked nicer, though his executives (especially a Mr. Palmer) had a habit of slamming their fists into the table with great force. He much preferred the table stay in one piece and important member of his team didn't receive sever injuries from shattered glass. The rest of the room was decorated with black carpets and leather chairs. A projector screen was set up behind Rufus's chair at the head of the table. The wall-papered walls were painted over with an off-white matte paint and a single piece of glass with the Shin-Ra logo printed onto its surface hung mounted to the wall. The room was the best he could do in a short amount of time, but it served its purpose and didn't give Rufus a headache.

The moment he walked into the room, his eyes met Elena's. She had looked up as the doors opened while everyone else in the room continued speaking loudly in a heated conversation ignoring his appearance completely. He broke the eye contact quickly and took his seat, clearing his throat loudly to get the attention of the room's occupants. He started the meeting, mentally preparing himself for the outbursts of a certain Heidegger and Scarlet.

Throughout the meeting, Rufus would steal occasional glances towards Elena as someone spoke about whatever topic he had previously presented. He got away with the first few glances, though he soon noticed Elena looking up every now and then and catching him staring. He looked away with an almost invisible smirk every time, knowing that her stare lingered for a fraction of a second longer. Half way through the meeting, however, after Reeve had brought up the issue of rebuilding Sector 7 and Scarlet rudely interrupted him to talk about funding for he department, Rufus noticed that every time Elena caught him looking at her, her expression turned to that of annoyance. It worried him at first until he noticed Elena's glare at Reno and Reno's chair tip back against the wall. He was able to conclude that her annoyance was not with him after all, but with Reno who had been annoying her one way or another under the table.

* * *

Soon, the meeting had ended and the executives packed up their papers and left the room. Rufus stayed seated, pretending to look over some notes from the meeting. He glanced up when the room became quiet and saw Elena packing up her belongings hurriedly and Tseng making his way out of the room. Reno hadn't waited for Elena this time and she seemed intent on catching up with Tseng. He thought about asking her to stay for a moment, knowing Tseng would consider it none of his business and continue on his way. However, as soon as the idea came into his head, Elena was out the door, nearly running after the Turk's leader.

Rufus quickly gathered his notes together and made his way out as well. When he stepped into the hall of the 66th floor, he saw Elena standing next to Tseng, staring at him with admiration. Tseng caught her staring as the elevator doors opened, but said nothing to her. They stepped on the elevator and let the doors close. Rufus felt a pain in his chest as he saw Elena's affectionate stare towards Tseng and decided he didn't want them alone together in the elevator. He walked quickly while still keeping his dignity as the elevator doors were closing. Before they had the chance to slide all the way closed, he stuck out his hand and forced the doors back open. He stepped into the elevator, noticing Elena's shocked expression and the look of judgement Tseng gave him. Rufus smirked and casually shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't sure what was going through Tseng's head at the moment, but he seemed to not care enough to push the topic.

Rufus decided to talk business with Tseng because it was comfortable and familiar. He could have started conversation with Elena, but no topics came to mind and his nerve left him the moment he even thought about talking to her. Ignoring her all together, against his better judgment, he conversed with Tseng. True, they talked all business on their ride up, but Tseng was an easy man for Rufus to talk to, despite his calm and collected mannerisms. He was reasonable and offered valuable insight. Not only that, but he listened to every word Rufus spoke, able to pick out every important detail. Tseng was perhaps the one person in Rufus's life he would truly call a friend. Their personal conversations were few and far between, but Rufus valued every single one of them nonetheless.

Soon, the elevator doors opened on the Turk's floor and Elena quickly stepped off. Realizing Tseng was not behind her, she quickly turned around to hold the elevator doors open. Tseng waved her off, saying, "Go ahead without me."

Elena nodded and released the doors, allowing them to slide closed. Rufus watched Elena through the increasingly small gap between the doors and decided to say, "Have a good evening, Elena," before they could cut him off from her. He thought it better to acknowledge her absence than to appear cold by continuing his two-week-long silence. Tseng looked at Rufus with an eyebrow raised— another look of silent judgement. Instead of continuing their previous conversation, Rufus decided this time to acknowledge Tseng's silent inquiry.

"What is that look for?" He asked, trying to seem nonchalant about it.

Tseng chose his words carefully before speaking. "Nothing," he finally said, "though I have never seen you take so much interest in one of your employees before."

"How do you mean?" Rufus replied. There was absolutely no way Tseng could pick up on Rufus's feeling for Elena by five small, meaningless words.

"Perhaps it truly is nothing, but I've noticed your strange behavior these past few weeks. You've visited my office more often than usual, taking the long way to walk past Elena's office, no doubt. Plus your continuous staring during today's conference? Perhaps it truly means nothing, or perhaps I'm on to something here." Tseng's tone remained calm and cool throughout his accusation, though it was clear to Rufus of the judgment behind his words.

Rufus couldn't bring himself to reply. Instead, he stared at his reflection in the spotless silver doors of the elevator, his expression one of thoughtful confusion. He couldn't think of any words that would form a reasonable explanation, so he decided to remain silent. Before he knew it, the elevator doors opened to the floor right below his office. Rufus stepped off quickly and with purpose.

"Rufus," Tseng called behind him, keeping a hand on the elevator doors. "Put an end to whatever this is now. Nothing good could come from it." Tseng released his hold on the elevator and the doors closed once again, taking Tseng back to his office's floor. Rufus knew what Tseng was talking about, though he appreciated the vagueness of his statement. There was no need for his secretary, who sat a mere few feet away from the elevator, to be informed of his private affairs. Though, he couldn't help but wonder why Tseng was so against Rufus pursuing a relationship with Elena. True, it could put them both in more danger than was necessary for them, but at the same time they both were perfectly capable of holding their own in a fight. It had to be something more than that…

Rufus made his way into his office and as his thoughts continued, he felt that same pain in his chest, the one he had felt as he left the conference room and saw Elena fawning over Tseng. Could this mean he was jealous of Tseng? There was no possible way Tseng was pursuing a romantic relationship with Elena himself. Why, then, did Rufus find himself filled with so much envy? Rufus paced in his office for a few moments, staring out the large floor-to-ceiling window that took up the back wall of his office. He looked out unto the bustling city below as he tried to gather his thoughts. He definitely had feelings for Elena and he was going to win her over, if for no other reason than because Tseng told him not to.

Rufus sat down at his desk, pen in hand, and was ready to write a romantic message for Elena, when he thought of a better idea. He wanted her to feel noticed, but he didn't want her to feel forced into anything. The strange connection between them was a sweet way for him to reach out the first time, but she did not posses the same ability to reply to him, thus giving her less of a say in the matter. Instead, he set the pen down and took out his phone, typing Elena's number into the recipient box of the text message. He typed out a short message and sent it: _Dinner tomorrow night at 8?_ His heart pounded so fiercely and he regretted his message instantly. What if he said the wrong thing? What if she rejected him? Why hasn't she responded yet? Every thought of doubt went through his head and he was unable to do anything as he awaited her response.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for how long it took for me to update. I've become more motivated to continue this story so hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently now. Thanks for all of your patience!**


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